RED HOOK, N.Y. -- School district trustees say a funding request by Dutchess County BOCES appears counterproductive to the district's effort to stay within a state mandated cap in its property tax levy.

The Board of Education Wednesday reviewed the district's proposed $2.55 million share of BOCES programmatic and administrative expenses, representing an increase of $121,271, or 5 percent. Trustee Kelly Mosher noted the BOCES budget could be higher if fewer districts use its services.

"When they come up with their projected costs for those services and then when we and the other districts submit their finals on May 1 and we have whacked out some of these things, or more critically, if other districts have, then theoretically our costs could will end up being higher," Mosher said.

Officials said there are no BOCES expenses that are exempt from the state property tax levy cap, which is expected to be about 2 percent for the 2013-14 budget year.

The administrative component of BOCES budgets is voted on by all school systems in the BOCES district. Its programs are financed only by school districts that use those services.

"They face many of the same budget drivers that we face," district business manager Bruce Martin said. "They have employees with contracts, health insurance and retirement system costs. All of their retiree health insurance has to be accounted for in their administrative component."

Among the largest BOCES expenses for the Red Hook district are general occupational education at $404,397, up $19,252; and alternative education at $356,967, up $16,998.

"There are some things that we can look to cut from BOCES, although we've done a lot of that in the last few years," Martin said. "Most of what's left in BOCES are really the student programs ... so there is less room to cut BOCES services than there has been in the past."

Dutchess BOCES Superintendent John Pennoyer on Thursday said the projected 5 percent increase was the high end of cost estimates for the coming year. He said districts have not demonstrated animosity or resentment over the figure.

"We don't want them to be surprised after they've done their budgeting to find that the price tag is higher than the guidance that we gave," he said.

"I understand that all districts are under enormous strains, enormous pressures across the state with respect to the (property tax levy) cap," Pennoyer said. "The things that they were talking about are the things that they have and we have."